Once we heard it was hard to grow the grape and make the wine. No more. Something happened, because there's a flood of American Pinot Noir in wine shops these days. Food & Wine magazine's Senior Editor, Ray Isle, sorted them out and found some values. These picks were included in his article in the March 2007 issue of the magazine:

  • 2005 Cambria Julia's Vineyard: A reliable source from a huge estate in California's Santa Maria Valley. Their medium-bodied Pinot tastes expensive but it's not. About $19.

  • 2005 Raptor Ridge Willamette Valley: An elegant, multi-vineyard blend with most of the grapes coming from the Stony Mountain Vineyard in Oregon's Yamhill County. About $30.

  • 2004 Woodenhead Russian River Valley: A "hauntingly floral" bottle from co-owner Nikolai Stez, formerly at cult producer Williams Selyem. About $36.